Strasbourg, 8 October 2010                                                                  CDLR(2010)37

                                                                                           Item 5.1 of the agenda

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

(CDLR)

PREPARATION OF THE 17th SESSION

OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE

For guidance

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the Directorate General of

Democracy and Political Affairs

Directorate of Democratic Institutions

This document is public. It will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy.

Ce document est public. Il ne sera pas distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire.

Introduction

At the 16th session of their conference (Utrecht, 16-17 November 2009), the European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government accepted the invitation from their Ukrainian colleague to hold their 17th session in Ukraine in 2011 in order to review the implementation of the Utrecht Declaration, including implementation of the Kiviniemi Report and the Agenda for delivering good local and regional governance.

A date has not yet been agreed, but it is likely to be in the month of November of 2011.

The Ukrainian delegation to the CDLR might provide additional information on the envisaged date and place of the conference.

In accordance with the ministers’ decisions, the 2011 conference will build on the implementation of the Utrecht Declaration.

Regarding the review of implementation of the Declaration, two thematic sub-themes have in principle already been identified by the ministers: the overall situation as regards the impact of the economic crisis on local government and the responses to it (Utrecht Declaration, I(A)), and the measures taken to overcome obstacles to transfrontier co-operation (Utrecht Declaration, I(B)).

The “review conference” on the position of local government two years after the financial crisis of 2008 takes place on 11-12 October 2010 in Strasbourg. Its findings – to be presented to the CDLR – should provide an input for the identification by the CDLR of possible specific themes (sub-themes) for the conference. 

The international conference on the suppression of obstacles and good practices on crossborder co-operation will take place in the first half of 2011. Its preparation has been entrusted, with the assistance of a working party, to the LR-IC. It is expected that the conclusions of that conference too will feed into the ministers’ debates and conclusions. The theme of transfrontier co-operation should appear on ministers’ agenda (see also item 4.4.3.2. of the agenda).

Also the tasks entrusted to Ministers Kiviniemi and Chaves to implement the Utrecht Declaration will, of course, also be on the agenda.

Minister Manuel Chaves of Spain will present his report on the reviews undertaken following the provisions of chapter B (c) and (d) of the Declaration on steps and measures to strengthen Ministers’ co-operation further to the Kiviniemi report. The report is currently being prepared (see item 4.2 of the agenda) and should be released in early 2011, in time for the CDLR to be able to examine it and propose action by the Ministers at the 17^th session of their conference.

Following the appointment of Minister Mari Kiviniemi as Prime Minister of Finland,  Minister Tapani Tölli of Finland has taken over the task to develop concrete proposals for a partnership with the Committee of Ministers by the end of 2010. This work is presently being undertaken (see item 4.1 of the agenda). The proposals to be developed by Minister Tölli on behalf of his colleagues will be the basis for decsionmaking by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at its 121^st session (i.e. the formal session with the participation of Foreign Ministers), in May 2011. The results will be on the agenda of the ministerial session in Ukraine.

In addition to the above, the 17^th session of the conference could also debate a topical issue, to be identified in the light of political priorities in member states or recent developments in Europe. The Ukrainian delegation might also wish to make a proposal at this stage, subject to refinement as appropriate, in the course of the months to come. Proposals from other delegations are equally welcome.

It is recalled that the CDLR decisions on themes and subthemes, date and place of the conference are to be communicated to the Ministers’ Deputies in compliance with Resolution (71)44 of the Committee of Ministers.

The CDLR could also have an initial discussion on the format of the conference which could include:

-        the possible organisation by the host minister of a “fire-chat discussion” on the eve of the conference, on a topic to be chosen by him;

-        the way in which the (main) theme and possible sub-themes of the conference will be considered (in plenary, in working groups…);

-        the modalities of the dialogue to be held with the representatives of the Congress and the Parliamentary Assembly.

Action required

CDLR members are invited to prepare for a discussion on the items above and agree on

-        the date and place of the 17^th session of the conference, in the light of proposals to be made by the Ukrainian delegation

-        the draft agenda (including theme and subthemes) of the session;

-        the format of the session.